Tenn. launches "It Has to Stop" campagin for trafficking

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has launched a new initiative to raise awareness of human trafficking.

The campaign is called "It Has To Stop" and features a website with links for visitors to join nonprofits and other groups in the effort to curb trafficking in Tennessee and abroad.

Research by The Polaris Project, a national leader in the fight against human trafficking, indicates it is one of the fastest-growing criminal enterprises in the United States.

The U.S. Department of Justice and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children estimate the number of children bought and sold in the country for the purpose of sexual exploitation to number at least 100,000. The average age of a trafficking victim is 13.